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Gamasutra looks at 20 difficult games
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Aug 31st 2007 at 4:15PM }
Harris concedes that most intelligently difficult games are much older, and typically don't have a "lose" condition. The list includes hair-pulling classics like Defender, Sinistar, and Lode Runner, as well as a few more recent titles like Super Monkey Ball. It's a good read for anyone interested in game design.
John Harris also writes the excellent @Play column for GameSetWatch, which focuses on a long history of games classified as "roguelikes."
Wii Warm Up: Favorite franchise?
by JC Fletcher { Aug 13th 2007 at 9:00AM }
We've been asking about your favorite entries in big Nintendo franchises (and we probably will again!), but we thought we'd ask a more macro-scale question. What's your favorite franchise on Nintendo consoles? You've got your Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, obviously, but there's also Sonic, Resident Evil, Mega Man, Street Fighter, and years and years of other series throughout history. And don't forget about the comparatively newer series like Super Monkey Ball and Phantasy Star Online! As for us, it's definitely Castlevania. We have been faithful to Konami's pseudo-horror series since the very start.
Wii Warm Up: The worst controls
by Alisha Karabinus { Jul 20th 2007 at 9:00AM }
Earlier this week, we spent a little time talking about some of the best motion-sensing control schemes offered by Wii games so far -- so it's only fair that we dedicate a little time to the worst that you've experienced since launch. We've managed to avoid some of the games that are supposed to be really awful, but can definitely say that about half of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz definitely left something to be desired (and yet, part of the game was fine). We've heard horror stories however, that many games are far worse. How about you? What's the worst you've tried to suffer through on the Wii? Feel free to get into the gory details.Age of Hella Cheap Games, revisited
by Eric Caoili { Jun 15th 2007 at 5:00PM }
When we last fixed our gaze on Cheap Ass Gamer's list of DS discounts at Amazon, we were presented with eight marked-down titles -- two of which were worth your money, the rest being of middling quality. Since then, the thrifty tally has expanded three-fold, its ratio of rad-to-bad offerings also steadily increasing. Here are a few highlights from the $2.99
$10.99
$14.99 As you probably already know by now, Amazon waives its shipping fees on orders totaling over $25. We can't predict how long some of these deals will last before going out of stock or returning to their original price, so now is not the time to be indecisive! Break your piggy banks open and run past the post break for the full list of games on sale.
Today in Joystiq: June 4, 2007
by Ross Miller { Jun 4th 2007 at 11:59PM }
News
Three titles join Zelda II's Virtual Console celebration
New games this week: Tomb Raider Anniversary edition
Interview with StarCraft 2 cinematic creative director
Bloomberg: Wii/PS3 gap continues to widen in Japan
Early look at exploration-based indie adventure Aquaria
'Broad new content' on Xbox Marketplace? No kidding!
Saw this coming: Games based on Saw coming
GameTap's free version plays globally
Reminder: Global servers, DLC for Resistance coming June 7th
Play Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo, earn essence in retail release
Sony hiring for God of War team
Gamecock announces DS survival horror, Dementium: The Ward
Time Ace turns clock forward on Time Pilot
Tabula Rasa shows off heavy weapons
Guitar Hero III videos return for second look
Plundr, first location-based DS game, debuts at Where 2.0
Video Games Live to play Kennedy Center in Wash. D.C.
Rumors & Speculation
Pachter: Hey Activision, watch out for Rock Band
Rumor: E3 to bring Smash Bros, Mario Galaxy release dates, Mario Kart Wii to be unveiled
Rumorong: Rein says Gears of War on PS3 is 'bull****'
D&D dev claims PSP can handle MMO, unsure of market
Culture & Community
Exercise bike gets attachment for PSP
Civilization III mod teaches Canadian history
Twilight Princess speed run in under 6 hours
Forty-hour DS charger is perfect ... for somebody
BlizzCon attendees to get beta key for 'upcoming Blizzard game'
[Thanks, laserboyjc]
Age of Hella Cheap Games
by Eric Caoili { May 30th 2007 at 6:20PM }
Always looking our for our wallets' best interests, CheapyD of Cheap Ass Gamer fame scrounged up a selection of Nintendo DS games that're currently on sale for $14.99 at Amazon. Some of the titles, like Superman Returns and Crash Boom Bang, probably should've been pitched into the trash dumpster out back instead of into the bargain bin, but we understand that there are a number of laws and regulations against disposing hazardous waste like that.
If you haven't picked them up yet, Age of Empires: The Age of Kings and Sonic Rush are included in the sale, both of them being games we've lauded time and time again. Age of Kings, in particular, will always hold a special place in our hearts with its turn-based-strategy adaptation of the popular PC series. Presumably, that place would be right in between our love for Fruit Roll-Ups and our infatuation with all things zombie related. Jump past the post break for the full list of games and their Amazon links.
How many labyrinthine games do we really need?
by Alisha Karabinus { Mar 13th 2007 at 4:45PM }
Infendo has taken a snarky poke at the bevy of Marble Madness-y labyrinthine games gearing up for appearances on the Wii, and frankly, we too are surprised at the sheer number of such titles. Super Monkey Ball (obviously) already featured ball-rolling as one of the better parts of an uneven offering, and now three more upcoming games are centered around labyrinth puzzles. You know, we love rolling balls as much as the next guy, and certainly the gametype suits the console on many levels; the controller and the games-for-everyone theme are both well-supported here. But four games in the first year seems a little excessive. The Wiimote is also really well-suited to pointing and shooting, but we don't need four simple shooting gallery games, either. Sure, each game has different features. In Dewy's Adventure, the "marble" can go vaporous or crystallize into ice. Awesome. Except at the end of the day, it's still all about rolling around from here to there. This is really a pretty simple theme, and there are only so many variations on it. How many labyrinth games are we really going to buy? Does anyone expect to own all of these?
Wii Warm Up: Tacos, etc.
by JC Fletcher { Mar 3rd 2007 at 11:00AM }
So the Wii has opened up new gameplay possibilities, new control methods, more immersion, and all that. But, unless the Nunchuk is involved, it's also opened up one of your hands. This has created the possibility for completely immersive snacking, wherein you don't have to stop playing even for a second while you stuff your face full of delicious, crunchy tacos (and, possibly, non-taco food items), totally sabotaging your Wii Sports exercise program.We want to know-- are you guilty of the crime of convenience? Have you succumbed to a sudden banana craving after picking up hundreds and hundreds of them in Super Monkey Ball? Or have you refrained from eating during gameplay, afraid you'll accidentally transfer some Cheeto dust onto the Wiimote?
Wii Warm Up: So how 'bout the games?
by Alisha Karabinus { Feb 15th 2007 at 9:00AM }
Many of you are just getting your hands on a Wii (at last!) and others are just settling in for more in depth play on your games, so we figured it was a good time to ask: what have you played? What have you skipped? Which games have you liked most so far?This particular blogger has only been a little disappointed with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, due to the controls. Everything else has been pretty engaging. Twilight Princess, Wii Sports, and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (skateboarding games are a longtime habit a girl just can't shake) have gotten the most play on this Wii, though we're always happy to throw down on a variety of other games. More recently, it's been extensive sessions of Wario Ware: Smooth Moves. But hey, we figure everyone's got different tastes ... so how about you? Don't be shy -- tell us what you've liked so far!
Mercury Meltdown Revolution rolls onto Wii
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 14th 2006 at 3:15PM }
Ignition Entertainment has announced that the Mercury series of puzzle games will arrive on the Wii next Spring, in the form of Mercury Meltdown Revolution. As it involves you tilting the playing field in order to guide a blob of mercury to its intended destination, it doesn't take any sort of scientist to make the mental connection between the game and the Wii's unique controller. Ignition president (and non-scientist), Paul Robinson, explains that "the original game design was intended for a tilt controller. Now gamers can fully interact with the Mercury blob, navigating through the labs with precision and unprecedented speed."The press release is quick to note other key features, such as the presence of over 150 levels, "advanced rendering techniques" and most importantly, "state of the art blob physics." Admittedly, we initially read that last one as something else entirely.
UK preorders are a go
by Alisha Karabinus { Sep 26th 2006 at 2:25PM }
PC World, the self-styled "Largest Computer Superstore" for the UK (we're impressed) has started taking preorders for the Wii -- and they're offering a nice bundle pack. We hope to see similar offerings on this side of the Atlantic, because this is just too good to pass up. The basic console weighs in at £179.99, and there's an option for a Wii with a second controller (but no nunchuk) for £199.99. For those not too savvy with the conversion of currency, don't let those seemingly low numbers fool you -- our pals in the UK are paying nearly $400 in US dollars for the privilege of a console and a second Wiimote.And then there are the bundles. Super Monkey Ball seems to be the order of the day; it's included in two of the three bundle options on PC World's site. You can choose either Red Steel or Twilight Princess to offset your monkey mayhem, and both bundles include the second Wiimote, and all for £259.99, only sixty pounds more than the console plus extra controller. The third bundle includes Wario Ware: Smooth Moves and Need for Speed: Carbon, as well as the extra controller. PC World promises free delivery with any of these preorders (which is a nice bonus), but doesn't guarantee delivery at launch (which isn't nice at all). Keep us posted on other preorder packs and bonuses, and we'll compare and contrast.
More fun than a barrel of Super Monkey Balls
by Alisha Karabinus { Sep 21st 2006 at 1:31PM }
It's been a while since we checked in with IGN's daily dose of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz fun, but their look at Keepy Up was just too good to pass over. So what is Keepy Up? Well, there's a monkey in a ball (you don't say!) and your job, grasshopper, is to bounce him around with a big pink bat. If he hits the ground ... well, we don't have to talk about all that. The poor little monkey looks pretty panicked, so you can imagine what happens.Yes, those are volcanoes in the background. Anyone for roast monkey leg?
Don't forget, they're profiling one of the game's fifty mini-games each day. Don't miss out!
Monkey Ball -- Jump Rope fun
by Nikki Inderlied { Sep 13th 2006 at 1:25PM }
Watching the videos for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz makes us realize that the Wii is all about bringing people together and having fun. True, we already knew this but it never really sinks in until we see it in action.
Take this new mini game -- who would have thought that jump rope could work effectively in a game? We can see four people struggling to try and keep the rhythm of the rope and we know that there are going to be a lot of cheaters out there wanting to use their actual feet to get you out of the way. We are looking at you younger/older brothers and sisters, boyfriends, girlfriends and way competitive friends!
Jump rope doesn't require any button presses, just a flick of the wrist up when you have to make your character jump. The rope changes pace -- some of the players got caught when it went from slow to fast and back down again. Check out the video to see what we are talking about.
Partial Wii launch lineup revealed
by James Ransom-Wiley { Jun 22nd 2006 at 1:55PM }
According to numerous reports, Nintendo Power has confirmed six Wii launch titles: - Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Square Enix)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo)
- Rayman Raving Rabbits (Ubisoft)
- Red Steel (Ubisoft)
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (Sega)
Fresh dose of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
by James Ransom-Wiley { Jun 14th 2006 at 2:55PM }
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Worthplaying.com has posted a mess of new screenshots of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz for Wii.Visually, the game is underwhelming, appearing only slightly crisper than past GameCube installments of the series. Of course, SMB: Banana Blitz's trademark isn't looks, but quirky motion-controlled gameplay, including the new 'flick-jump' ability. Party on.
